For the first time in history the 2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross took place in Atlanta’s famous Georgia Dome on back to back weekends. While last week we saw Chad Reed race to a very popular win in the 450SX class, this week it was Ryan Dungey’s turn to take the win. On what was themed to be 1990’s night in Atlanta, fans got treated to some pretty cool throwback graphics and gear, as well as Chad Reed riding out for opening ceremonies on a KX250 two-stroke. As he’s been all season, Frank Hoppen was on hand for MXP to capture it all for this week’s Behind the Lens.
On Sunday Feld Motorsports sent the media some Rich Sheppard photos of the Nascar drivers that attended the Atlanta SX on Saturday night. I only added this one because it’s Richard Petty and he’s pretty cool.
Vince Friese has quietly been having a pretty good 250SX East Series. In Atlanta, Friese finished a strong 5th in his heat but struggled in the main event, eventually crossing the finish line in 13th.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider Jason Anderson has been consistent all year and Saturday was no different. In Atlanta Anderson was a little off the pace, however he still managed to finish inside the top ten again.
Last year’s champ Justin Bogle rode well in Atlanta to finish in third. After three rounds of the east series Bogle sits ten points off the lead in third place.
Each week Josh Grant has been getting stronger and stronger. On Saturday night he almost cracked the top five and finished sixth in the main event.
The Atlanta 2 track had multiple sand sections and each one provided some pretty cool photos. Here Jeremy Martin rails a sand berm on his way to second place.
In Atlanta, Davi Millsaps had yet another off night and finished outside the top ten. Hopefully the hybrid Daytona SX track this coming weekend will snap Millsaps out of the rut that he’s been in all season.
Wearing some very cool 1990’s retro Fox gear, Marvin Musquin was on fire in Atlanta and rode off to a dominant win.
Weston Peick’s main event in Atlanta was a tale of two races. In the beginning he was brilliant and lead the first few laps. However, during the second half of the race he slowly faded back to tenth place. With a little more fitness Peick will be a front runner for the full 20 laps.
In keeping with the 1990’s theme, the JGR Auto Trader Yamaha Team brought out their Damon Bradshaw replica Yamaha.
For the second week in a row Chad Reed put himself in a position to win the main event during the first few laps. However, this week he made a two small mistakes in the opening laps that cost him any chance at the win.
Now that the 2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series has moved to the east, Chad Reed has found the speed he’s been looking for to run up front. In Atlanta, Reed celebrate his slim heat race win with a huge 1990’s whip over the finish line.
Even though he’s almost 33 years old, Chad Reed doesn’t get out scrubbed very often. But when he let his front end wash out a little in the corner before the triple, Weston Peick reached into his unsuspecting bag of tricks and jumped past Reed.
Broc Tickle continues to impress each and every weekend. During the first half of the main event Tickle battled with just about everyone on route to another very impressive 4th overall.
With a taped ankle and a sore body from his hard crashes the week before, Ken Roczen struggled in Atlanta to finish way back from the leaders in 8th place. Unless something drastic happens Roczen, will look back at this 2015 SX series as the title he threw away.
I know I’ve mentioned this a few times in the last few weeks, but has anyone ever witnessed Ryan Dungey ride so loose and have so much fun. In Atlanta, Dungey was smiling and styling all the way to the top spot on the podium.
Your Atlanta Two 450SX podium. With the back to back races in the Georgia Dome behind them, the riders now head south to the dark sands of Daytona.